Housing. Health care. Gas. Groceries. Legal services. These and many more topics popped up as Highlanders were asked about cost of living in their community.
On September 27 during a sparkling fall afternoon, more than 50 residents gathered at the Highlands community building to talk, share ideas and solutions.
While the group concluded that affordability – particularly housing affordability – was the main problem hurting recruitment and retention of younger workers and their families, the community supports business and growth.
What Highlands needed was more support to entry and mid-level workers to sustain that growth and quality of life.
Sponsored by the advocacy group Indivisible Highlands, the event was billed as a non-partisan discussion about how the cost-of-living affected individuals in the community and the cost of business in one of the county’s wealthier enclaves.
Local office holders and candidates were invited to listen to the community discussion and offer potential solutions at the federal, state, and local level. Constance Neely, one of the event organizers, emphatically stated as the 90-minute discussion kicked off, “It’s not a debate. It’s not a campaign platform.”
Two rounds of residents, workers, business leaders, and non-profit heads then took turns explaining what they and their clients were currently experiencing, inviting the audience to chime in with suggestions on how to fix problems identified.
Finding health care providers
A number of speakers raised the challenges in finding affordable health care services for Highlanders.
“In the last two years, our patient load has doubled,” said Faviola Olvera, executive director of the Community Care Clinic.
Attributing some of the new patient load to increased health insurance costs and the loss of Affordable Healthcare Act benefits, Olvera said she wished the clinic did not have to exist to fill the gap for primary health care needs. Calling the area “a health care desert,” Olvera lamented the limited number of providers available to assist new patients.
Dental care was also a problem according to Maria Lozada.
“Finding a low-cost dental option in town. It can be a one year wait to find an affordable dentist,” she said.
As the discussion turned to potential solutions, Regina Lupoli, a local business owner, applauded the Highlands Chamber of Commerce for a program allowing small businesses to pool together for employee healthcare benefits through Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield network. The program also offers options to add dental, vision, and other insurance products.
Kellie Burns, a candidate for the District 2 County Commissioners seat, offered to help connect the community to the Eastern Carolina University School of Dental Medicine in Sylva to open up faster options for dental appointments.
Protecting local farms and food security
While many people think of Highlands as a high-end tourist resort, it also serves as part of Macon County’s agricultural network.
Lisa Kelly of Sunnybrook Farm/WNC from the Ground Up, offered a written statement in which she expressed concern that the cost of inputs for farmers had risen – seed, fertilizer, fuel, equipment, labor – which raised grocery prices and squeezed farmers’ profits.
“The biggest long term pressure is land,” Kelly wrote. “In Macon County, and especially on the plateau, land values have climbed far beyond what farming can pay for.”
She called on leaders to protect farmland with easements, to keep local markets strong by reinstating federal food purchasing programs to ensure local farmers have steady buyers, and to invest in shared infrastructure for cold storage, processing and trucks in a food hub system.
She complimented the efforts of the Macon County Extension Office and the soil and water programs. The office’s knowledge and conservation techniques were instrumental in helping farmers succeed in a tight market.
Tapping into regional alliances
Throughout the fast-paced 90 minute discussion, the issue of worker retention came up repeatedly. In addition to rising fuel costs to travel further to get groceries or find healthcare and veterinary support, workers were most concerned about finding affordable housing close enough to their jobs.
Caleb Brown, a teacher at Highlands High School and a candidate for state House of Representatives, said the school system was able to recruit quality teachers but often lost them after one or two terms because of housing costs. Finding affordable housing for missal classes workers means a commute. Initial recruitment was even more acute for bus drivers and custodians for the school system.
“The average median income is not able to sustain life up here” once utilities, gas, food, and medical bills were factored in, said T.J. Smith of the International Friendship Center.
Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor sees “A growing divide of haves and have nots. We have young people coming that are burdened with challenges we never faced. Finding housing is a real challenge.”
Taylor has made affordable housing a repeated theme in his essays and podcasts on improvements.
He said he planned to use his upcoming role as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southwestern Commission to push for wider attention on the housing issue.
“We need a strong Southwestern Commission,” said Janet Jacobs Greene, also a candidate for District 2 County Commissioners seat. It needs to tackle the housing issue in the seven western counties affecting the full region.
Burns added in that she also hoped to pull together school boards from all seven counties to find solutions that would improve teacher pay and benefits.
One participant stated, “Everything west of Asheville seems to get forgotten.”
If there was any area of agreement, it was that efforts to unknot affordability issues affecting Highlanders would require action at the federal, state, and local levels, with a heavy emphasis on local needs.
When asked if she thought the discussion had produced results, Neely reflected on what had been shared. “I love this community. We all do. This is why we’re here, to find ways to make it better.”
Photo top: Harrison Keely / CC BY 4.0. (cropped)
